On Tuesday June 29th, University of Texas professors Michael Smith and Rob Tillyer presented their research project on the use of force by the Fairfax County Police Department, which specifically measured the racial and ethnic disparities regarding use of force by FCPD.
Here are the highlights:
Police Use of Force and Civilian Resistance Level
"In summary, police use of force is most consistently predicted by the level of resistance that officers encounter. The research on police use of force identifies a number of other important factors (e.g., civilian, officer, community, and organizational characteristics) that influence use of force and the severity of force employed. Studies that fail to fully consider these situational and contextual variables are limited in their ability to explain police decisions to use force and should be interpreted cautiously."
Impact of Citizen Race on Police Use of Force
"In summary, the available evidence demonstrates mixed findings regarding the impact of citizen race on police use of force. Further, when citizen race is found to predict police use of force, the impact is often mitigated once other factors (e.g., citizen resistance, neighborhood characteristics, etc.) are considered (Engel & Swartz, 2014; Kramer & Remster, 2018). Accurately isolating racial/ethnic disparities in the use of force requires accounting for area-level deployment and population differences as well as differences in crime rates and group offending rates, among other factors. The existence of consistent, observed disparities after such factors have been controlled or otherwise accounted for suggests the possible influence of bias, which in modern police organizations today is most likely the result of implicit or unconscious bias mechanisms (Fridell & Lim, 2016; Smith & Alpert, 2007)."
Impact of Police Trainings on Use of Force
"Despite strong endorsements by expert panels and commissions, changes to police training designed to reduce racial/ethnic disparities in police outcomes, and reduce the use and severity of force are supported by relatively limited empirical research. This thin evidence base has demonstrated that police trainings are more likely to impact officers’ reported attitudes and knowledge than their actual behavior in the field, and it underscores the need for agencies to implement a comprehensive approach to support appropriate adjustments to policies and field supervision that reinforce training tenants (Engel et al., 2020a; 2021a). Based on the evaluation research available, CIT and ICAT de-escalation training appear to be the most promising of the 18 trainings available to reduce the use and severity of force. Ultimately, any changes in training, policies, and practices require the adoption of holistic approaches to challenge existing agency culture regarding the use of force, promote concepts such as the sanctity of human life, and support widespread understanding and use of the critical decision-making skills during interactions with persons in crisis."
I encourage you to read to full paper HERE
And watch the presentation and Public Safety Committee meeting below.
